


To Be Human

by HH_BlueDynamite



Series: A Bloody Retribution [5]
Category: Hazbin Hotel (Web Series)
Genre: Alastor is Bad at Feelings (Hazbin Hotel), Angst, My Take on the Mentality of the Radio Demon, Nightmares, Panic Attacks, Touch-Averse Alastor (Hazbin Hotel)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-20
Updated: 2020-04-06
Packaged: 2021-02-27 22:42:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 16,767
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22813279
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HH_BlueDynamite/pseuds/HH_BlueDynamite
Summary: Many sinners seems to have forgotten they were once human. While Alastor has fully recovered on the physical standpoint, it is his psyches that needed more special attention.
Series: A Bloody Retribution [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1600492
Comments: 63
Kudos: 212





	1. Back to the Status Quo?

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Hazbin Hotel. It belongs to Vivziepop.

Three days passed and Alastor finally started to wake up. A soft static resonated as he sat up in the infirmary bed, pushing the white sheets down to his lap. He rubs his forehead, vaguely aware of how he felt sticky from dried sweat when his fever broke one day prior. He sat there, looking through his memories. He kind of remembered passing out in Charlie's limo from his injuries and exhaustion. How careless of him. He should have been able to hold out a little longer so the others wouldn't have to see him like that. Such a sight can be a bane to his Overlord reputation. What part of him thought it was a brilliant idea to be knocked out at that moment?

Alastor continues to shuffle through his memories. Agatha's party…No doubt that night was the last party Agatha would ever throw because, well, she's erased. The mastermind? The Countess, an old enemy of Alastor who returned to exact her revenge. He remembered her biting him in the neck and then nothing…

A strange sensation ached in his hand. Alastor looks at the appendage with curiosity. It was an ache from a memory Alastor couldn't conjure. Perhaps, it occurred during his time of unconsciousness? He stared at the hand with squinted eyes. What did he do?

"Look who finally woke up." Alastor turns to see Alexir at his desk, his back towards the Overlord.

"And a good morning to you too, Alexir." Alastor said with a bit more pip in his tone. "…or is it evening?"

"Yes, it is indeed evening." the doctor informed. He kicked his feet at the ground so that he, in his swivel chair, would roll over to Alastor's bedside. "Though, you were somewhat coherent earlier today, but most of it was static nonsense."

"How long was I asleep?"

"That would be three days."

"Three days…interesting." Alastor said. He stares at his hand again.

"Interesting, indeed." Alexir said. "But, hardly surprising."

"Oh?"

"Given the injuries you've had sustained, as well as factoring your moment of being," the doctor cleared his throat before air quoting, "dollified."

"Dollified?" Alastor questioned.

"That's what Angel Dust called it, since the Countess called the demons under her control her dolls."

"…I was under her control?" Alastor questioned. That sounded hard to believe.

"Apparently so. I take it that you were not told."

"…No. I was not. However, given the stakes, there was no time to dwell on it." Alastor did felt that Rosie had left something out when she was explaining what had happened while he was…incapacitated.

"You are a stubborn man, Alastor." Alexir said.

"Hmmm? And what makes you say that?" Alastor asked, cheeky with a tilt of his head.

Alexir glared from behind his glasses. "Were you aware of the heavenly silver imbedded in your body?"

Alastor moved his head back up so fast that there was an audible crack. "…Truly?" Alexir nodded. "That would explain why the wound haven't healed yet." The deer waves a dismissive hand. "Well, that's all water under the bridge now."

"You sure you want to say that?" Alexir quizzed. "Seeing how this single shard almost erased you from existence."

"And it didn't happen. Bravo, my good man." Alastor congratulated, patting the other man's cheek. The antelope demon smacks the hand.

"Alastor," started Alexir, "I've known you for several decades and as those years progressed, I have lost my patience with you and your insistent need to barricade yourself during a moment of weakness."

"What are you getting at?"

"What I'm getting at is," to Alastor's surprise, the doctor takes him by his shoulders, "Let others in for pity's sake! It's not going to knock you down a peg." In a swift motion, Alastor was successful in slicing Alexir right arm off, the limb now laying on the floor. The doctor glanced at the detached limb nonchalantly, unfazed by the act of violence.

Alastor climbs out of the bed. He notices his monocle on the side table and picks it up. "If my treatment is over, I will take my leave."

"…So be it." was all Alexir said. Alastor wordlessly disappears, either to his hotel room or back at his Radio Tower. It didn't matter to Alexir in the slightest. Living among demons with a death wish had made the doctor less caring of them unless _they come to him_ for aid. Alastor was something different all together. He's not stupid enough to get himself in harm's way if he could help it, but the deer hates to let others see his injuries.

Alexir sighs as he retrieves his arm. "The price as a prey-based demon."

A peacock demon enters the infirmary. "Hey, Alex, I just back from the deal. How's our pa—" He gasps. "Alex, what happened?!"

"It's nothing, Kuja. Just help me with this."

**††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††**

Alastor opted to teleport to his hotel room than return to his Radio Tower. After a refreshing shower, he emerges from his private bathroom in his bathrobe. "Ahhh. Just what I needed." He wirelessly turns on his radio and jazz tunes played. He makes himself comfortable on his armchair and conjures a tulip glass of brandy in his hand. He sat there, sipping his alcohol and listening to his beloved jazz compilation. He hadn't felt this relaxed for quite a while, he's going to make the most of it. He'll even ignore the odd ache in his hands…and chest.

There was knock on his door. Alastor puts the glass down and gets up. He snaps his fingers and changed to his casual clothes. A light red pinstripe dress shirt with white lines, white pinstripe trousers with light red lines, a black cummerbund belt is around his slim waist, and black dress shoes. Dressed, he answers the door to see Charlie, also dressed casually.

"Ah, Charlie! What a pleasant surprise! Please, come in, my dear! What brings you to my humble abode on this fine evening?" Alastor greeted the princess. He paused. "…Déjà vu."

"What?"

"Just a thought, my dear."

"…Riiight. Dr. Alexir just informed me about you waking up." Charlie said. "How are you feeling?"

"Just peachy. Why, I've hadn't felt this great since my first broadcast!"

"That's good to hear." Charlie smiled. "If you like, maybe you can join us for dinner. Niffty whipped up some delicious Shepherd's pie."

"Ooooh. I've hadn't had that for nearly a decade!" Alastor recalled. "You can count me in!"

Charlie clapped. "Then let's go!" The pair go through the halls and stairs of the hotel. They've passed patients strolling by. Some gave Alastor a look of sorts. The red stag was sure to discreetly give them a glowing, staticky glare and they hurry away in fear. Good. At least they know that this slight mishap did nothing to diminish Alastor's reputation. Curious to learn anything that happened while he was out of commission, he reaches out a hand towards Charlie.

Then, he stopped.

His hand hovered over the princess' shoulder, twitching slight at he pondered whether to touch her or not. But, why? Why is he hesitating? In the end, Alastor opted to keep his hands behind his back. "Tell me, my dear. What has transpired while I was inactive?" As Charlie rambled on about all the activities that happened, Alastor ignores his shaking hands.

**††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††**

"Hey, look who ain't double-dead!" Angel said, lifting a glass of soda. "Awesome to see you up, Al!"

"Yes. It is good to be back on air!" Alastor declared. Niffty puts a plate of Shepherd's pie in front of him. "Thank you, my dear. It's looks delectable!" He goes to give the cyclops a pat on the head, but he paused. He felt the same hesitation as he did before. Stiffly, he pats Niffty's head. Thankfully, the little cyclops didn't appear to have noticed. The only one who saw it was Husk.


	2. A Marionette Dream

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Hazbin Hotel. It belongs to Vivziepop.

_Does an Overlord dream of demonic sheep? Alastor does. Well, he dreams of killing demonic sheep. Any demon, really. Because of Alastor's history, he'd even kill in his sleep. Not sleepwalking, thankfully, but he'd have grand time killing in his dreams. But this time, it's different._

_The demon sheep in front of him fell in a bloody heap, his body horrible twist and mangled. While this doesn't bother Alastor—it's fun actually—there was something wrong. The stag didn't want to kill the damned soul in this fashion. He was going to toy with the victim first before unleashing his minions on him. So, why?_

_Alastor just happens to decide to glance down at his arm to see that it had become the arm of a wooden marionette, his sleeve and glove painted on it. He wiggled his fingers, watching the circular joints roll. It was same for his other arm and his legs. He then realizes that his entire being had become a marionette. Confusion muddled his mind. What is going on?_

_Then, his arm started moving on its own, manipulated by wired strings attach to his joints. His other arm, holding his cane up as red energy vibrated from it. What is he doing? The red light grew brighter and brighter as the radio noise grew louder and louder until the eye on the microphone opened and—_

Alastor wakes up in a cold sweat. He looks over his arms, relieved to see that they are normal. He runs a hand across the appendage. No strings are attached to make them move against his will. That dream was…troubling. Absolutely troubling. And hopefully nothing. Nothing to worry about at all. He looks around his room, taking a moment to remember that he is back in his tower. Alastor looks at his clock. 6:36 am. A little earlier than usual, but nothing major.

He pulls the covers off and heads to his bathroom for a quick shower. Hot water cascaded on Alastor's gray body and red fur, getting rid of any dried sweat stuck to him. His ears flatten down from saturation and his red eyes watch the water go down the drain. He runs a hand through his hair. He feels his hand shaking against his scalp. He looks at it, watching his fingers tremble. It was same for his other hand. Tremors quaked from the tips of his fingers to his elbows and could feel his heart racing. Alastor hadn't had this happening since his first kill…

…back when he was alive.

He leans on the tile wall of the shower, taking long and deep breaths. Despite his attempt at calming himself, his breathing steadily became more erratic. With each unstable take of air, the static around him grows denser, the lights in the room flickering and the wall around Alastor cracks. Swiftly and violently, Alastor punches the wall behind him, leaving a large dent. What followed was a throbbing pain. The action was enough to satiate Alastor's pounding chest, his nerves not as chaotic. Alastor lets out a staticky, shuddered breath.

He's in control. He's in control. He's in control.

He feels a presence in the shower with him. It was his shadow, staring at him. It mirrored Alastor's strained smile. He could almost feel the shaking coming back. "Leave me be," was Alastor's only command and the shadow went away.

A few minutes later, Alastor finishes his shower and dries himself off. He dons his usual attire, but not feeling up for his jacket, revealing his crimson red shirt and black vest. He does wear his gloves and monocle, of course. He ventures out from his private sanctuary and into the kitchen to brew some coffee to start the day. The strong, scalding liquid felt good on his taste buds before it went down his throat. After he went through his morning routine, he teleports his way to the hotel.

All the while ignoring the strange, irregular speed of his palpitating heart.

**††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††**

Most of the Happy Hotel's patients barely jumped when Alastor appeared in the middle of the lobby, having to have seen his grandiose entrances many times to the point of no longer being startled. For others, they nearly relieved themselves.

"Good morning, everyone!" he declared, a stock applause and cheers generated from nothingness.

"Good morning to you too, Mr. Alastor." Niffty greeted with a wave of her feather duster, accumulating dust particles in the air and making nearby sinners to cough. "Oh! Oopsie!" she giggled. "Pesky dust bunnies."

Alastor chuckles. "Well, I'll leave you to it, little darling. Oh, and do inform Charlie of my arrival." Niffty giggles again before zipping off. The stag makes his way to the bar/reception desk, where Husk had already prepared whiskey on the rocks for Alastor. "Thank you, my friend." Alastor didn't notice how his still shaking hand made the ice clink against the glass.

Husk eyes it for a split second. "…Yeah. Whatever."

"Good morning, Al!" Angel greeted, Fat Nuggets in his lower arms. He takes a seat one stool apart from Alastor. "See ya doin' good today."

"And what do you mean by that, my effeminate fellow?"

"Remember what happened, like, a week ago? Any normal joe would be out of it for a while. Then again, you ain't normal."

"…I suppose I'll take that as a compliment." Alastor said before taking a sip.

Angel looks at him curiously, Fat Nuggets snuggled up in his arms. "Ya sure you're doin' good?"

"Why?"

"Your hand's shakin'." Husk nearly choked on his bottle.

Alastor blinks. "…What?"

"Yeah, your hand's as jittery as me after I took a popper."

"…Currently or in the past?"

Angel rolled his eyes. "I didn't take one."

Alastor dared to look over at his hand, seeing it shaking slightly. He knows he's shaking by the ripples in the alcohol. His smile felt strained and the pounding in his chest started to intensify as he tries to keep his breathing in check. He dragged his free fingers across the surface of the counter as his radio starts to become dense. Fat Nuggets started to stir before waking up, clearly afraid at the change of atmosphere. Angel and Husk noticed the change as well. The lights in the lobby started to flicker.

"Al?" Angel wondered. He was about to put a hand on Alastor when the latter moved to grab his wrist. Angel flinched, waiting for the inevitable and painful vice grip. But it didn't come. Alastor's hand was curled around his wrist, but the fingers never touched him. In fact, the spider could see the digits twitching, like Alastor was fighting against it. Fighting against what was a question that came to mind. "Al?"

Alastor calmly, though stiffly, places his half empty glass on the counter and walks away towards the stairs, leaving a confused/worried Angel and a puzzled Husk. The two exchanged glances, having the same question appear in their minds.

What just happened?

**††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††**

The Radio Demon power walks his way to his hotel room, his distortion effects following close behind. He even scared a pair of demons with static faces and imagery. Alastor speeds up his pace and tries to calm down. Thankfully, he finally arrived at his destination.

Alastor closes the door behind him, in his sanctuary that is his private quarters. After locking the door, he leans on the red wood, sliding down to seat. His hand clenched tightly on the front of his shirt, over where his heart would be. The organ started to beat more rapidly and he was feeling very dizzy. Alastor struggled to bring his breathing back to normal, but the more he tried, the worst it gotten.

What's happening to him?

His shadow is looming above him, its smile slowly dipping.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going to try to depict realistic panic attacks/disorders. I, as much as I know, have never experienced one. But, I'm related to someone who does and I'm occasionally there to help them calm down.
> 
> All I know that it is a terrifying experience.


	3. Curiosity Snubbed the Cat

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Hazbin Hotel. It belongs to Vivziepop.

Charlie was told by Niffty that Alastor has arrived and is in the lobby. With papers in her hands and a skip in her steps, she heads over. But, when she arrives, Charlie doesn't see the deer anywhere in the lobby. She even checks the bar, where he would be while he waits and talks to Husk. Husk and Angel are there, but no Radio Demon.

"Was Alastor here?" she asked the pair.

"Y-Yeah, ya just missed 'im." Angel told her. Charlie noticed the pornstar's uneasy posture.

"Is something wrong?" Charlie asked him.

Angel looks at Husk, who only shrugged. "…I…I don't know. Everything was all fine and dandy but then…" Angel wasn't sure how to word what he saw.

"Where is he?" asked Charlie after a long silence.

"He went upstairs." Husk answered. "Probably to his room."

Charlie nods. "Okay. Thanks for telling me. I'll talk to him."

"Good luck with that." Husk muttered.

Charlie climbs up the stairs to the sixth floor. She heads to room 613, Alastor's room. The princess goes to knock the door before it flew open, startling Charlie.

"Ah, good morning, Charlie!" Alastor greeted, upbeat and chipper as usual. "Apologies for not seeing you in the lobby, my dear. I had something to attend to."

"…Um…It's okay. What about you?" Charlie asked, unsure what to think. Alastor seems like his normal self.

"Everything is hunky-dory and under control!"

Charlie, again, felt unsure. "…If you say so."

Alastor moves around her sleekly, his arm and hand hovered over her shoulder, but not touching her. "We've got a long day ahead! I am eager to bear witness to another unfortunate soul failing to better themselves!"

"…Sure."

The princess of Hell wasn't sure what to think. Alastor seems to be his morally twisted self. There's nothing different about him as far as she could see. However, there is a nagging feeling in the back of her mind.

The rest of the day went smoothly for the most part. Alastor acted like his twisted, condescending way as he heartily berates patients that failed a certain criterion for their redemption. Nothing strange there. To other demons. For one Husk, it was crystal clear. Having the 'luxury' to 'volunteer' for Alastor's various plans, Husk has made the most personal contact with Alastor than really any other demon in Hell. He was able to catch the moments Alastor had stopped himself from touching anyone, strange for the Radio Demon because he prefers to be the one to administer touch. While it doesn't mean much to some – happy, in fact, because they felt uneasy around the stag – Husk knows this change is out of the ordinary.

**††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††**

_He's a marionette again, strings and all that lead to a shadowed puppeteer. Alastor wanted to acknowledge the irony of it, but he was more focused on trying to get back control. Unfortunately for him, the strings' hold was like titanium, tugging him back as he fought with all his might. There was laughter, a warped chortle at his misfortune. Alastor couldn't pinpoint the culprit, the snickering overlapped and melded with one another._

" _ **The puppeteer is now the puppet. And as it should be**_ _."_

_The legion-like voices go back to their snickering as Alastor's limbs were forced to move against his will once again. With a single swipe, his claws were forced to slice…something._

Alastor snaps awake, but he remained lying down as his heart thumped 100 miles per hour. He laid on his back, staring at the ceiling, as he slowed his breathing to calm down. When he did, he seats up. He sighs as he rubbed his forehead. Another…disturbing dream. Alastor looks at his clock. 4:36 am. His shoulders slump and his brows knitted together. Well, isn't that great. And something tells him that he won't be able to return to sleep.

He rises from his bed and to his bathroom for his shower for the day. After this, he puts on his casual attire, not feeling up for his usual. Feeling presentable enough, he walks out.

**††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††**

The halls of the hotel were empty, patrons keeping their word to stay in their rooms during this time so early in the morning. Alastor isn't a patient for the establishment, so the rules don't apply to him.

He makes it to the main floor where the bar/receptionist desk is. To Alastor's surprise, Husk isn't there. He's either sleeping or answering nature's call. No matter, Alastor needs a drink. Pouring himself a glass of whiskey, Alastor goes to the communal living room. He scans the books on a shelf, looking for something good to read. He eventually finds one. An autobiography of a plague doctor, one of Alastor's favorites. He takes the tome and gets comfy on a couch.

**††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††**

Husk yawns as he scratches himself. Another day, another bottle of rum he could sneak pass Charlie and Vaggie. While he isn't a patient, Charlie tries to encourage Husk to drink less. Not going to happen. Alcohol is his life blood.

As soon as he moved around to his workplace, he noticed something different. Different as in something was missing. A rocks glass is missing from its spot on the shelf with other glasses and a bottle of Barb's Bourbon Whiskey wasn't on the top shelf. Despite his lackadaisical mannerism, Husk likes to keep his area tidy, especially before bed so he doesn't have to do anything when he wakes up. So, who did it? Was it a patient—since one glass is gone—wanting to sneak a bottle for the night? Not that Husk would say anything to Charlie about it.

His questions were answered when he heard soft jazz music coming from the living room. The music sounded like it was coming from a gramophone, but cat demon didn't recall a gramophone being in there. He enters the room, spotting a familiar person seating on the couch. It was Alastor, his back facing Husk and a filled rocks glass and bottle of whiskey beside him.

Husk's large brow raised in questioning. When did Alastor arrive? He'd typically be out and about around 8:00. 7:04 am is set on the grandfather clock. Sure, Alastor may appear 10 minutes early or late, but this is much too early for the deer demon.

"Someone's up early." Husk spoke up, making his way to his 'employer'.

"Oh, good morning to you too, Husker." Alastor greeted. "Pardon me, but I've absconded with of your liquors. I hope you don't mind." Husk's eye twitched at the tone of the Radio Demon's voice.

"Not like I had a choice in the matter." the cat demon grunted. He picks up the near empty whiskey bottle, taking note of the little amount left inside. Husk knew it was full before. "How long you've been up?"

"Oh, about an hour or two." Alastor lied flippantly.

"Uh-huh." A small idea lit up in Husk's mind. A very stupid idea, but one that got him intrigued. As silently as he could, Husk walks up behind Alastor and moves his hand over Alastor's should. Like lightning, the stag's own hand shot out to grab Husk's, only stopping by a mere inch. His hand hand twitched, like before with Angel Dust and Husk swore he heard a strange breathing pattern from Alastor. After a few seconds, Alastor moved his hand away, acting as though nothing happened. Husk stood there for a moment before he turns to get into his post but decided that now might be a good time to talk to Alastor. He turns back around and asks, "Okay. What the fuck is going on with you?" Husk nearly missed the way Alastor froze before he lifted his glass.

"…Whatever do you mean?"

"You know what I mean. You nearly had a breakdown yesterday, Alastor." Husk pointed out. "And don't try to deny it. You're dealin' with a war vet. I've seen some shit."

Alastor abruptly closes his book and puts his glass down. "I haven't a clue of what you are talking about, my friend." He moves around the couch to leave to somewhere else in the hotel and away from Husk's prying. Husk, as someone who's not afraid of Alastor in the slightest, stood in of him, blocking his path.

"You can try and deny as much as you like so you can fool the others, but you ain't foolin' me." Husk said. "It's clear that you've been acting wonky lately and I know its from what happened with the Countess." Alastor glares at the cat demon before he leered closer.

"I have no obligation to say anything to you."

"Seeing how I'm forced to being acquainted with you, I'd say ya do. No one's gonna think less of ya. If they do, you can easily pull out their insides." Alastor, having enough, teleported away via his shadows. Husk sighs. "Why do I even fuckin' bother?" Husk goes to his bar, failing to see a curious Niffty from behind a potted plant.

The little cyclops had watched the whole exchange from a distance. While she may not be as bright as the next sinner, she is observant to some degree. She had noticed a slight change in Alastor's behavior since yesterday and she's curious to know the cause.

But first, she needs to find the deer demon.


	4. Deer Hunting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Hazbin Hotel. It belongs to Vivziepop.

"Mr. Alastor?" Niffty called as she thoughtfully opened room 613. Her single eye shifts around for any sign of the demon in red. He's not in his room. "Not here, huh? Now where, oh where could Mr. Alastor be?" Niffty wondered as she hops down the hall, cleaning as she went. "Hmmm. Maybe he went back to his radio tower… Oh! I know! Mr. Alastor could be talking to Dr. Alexir in his office!" With a cute giggle, Niffty dashes off through the hall and down the stairs, nearly running over patients. She skids to a halt – followed by the sound of tires screeching and a car alarm noise – in front of the infirmary. Niffty vigorously knocks the door and the doctor assistant, Kujaku, answers it.

"Hey, Nifft. Dust irritating your eye again?"

Niffty giggled. "No, not this time. I'm looking for Mr. Alastor. Is he here?"

"Nope. Haven't seen him this morning yet. Maybe Alex have seen him."

"Have I seen who?" Alexir asked as he walked up near Niffty.

"Hello, Dr. Alexir! I was wondering if you have seen Mr. Alastor anywhere." Niffty said. "I've already checked his room, the living room, the kitchen, the lobby, and pretty much every other room I could possibly think he would be. I even checked those places three more times."

"Have you ever thought about checking outside of the hotel?" Alexir responded. "There is Rosie's Emporium, the Great Gala, his tower… Why are you determined to find him?"

Niffty was about to say something to him until she saw Charlie. With a gasp, she zips to her. "Ms. Charlie, may I step out of the hotel to look for Mr. Alastor?"

"He's not here? Where did he go? What happened?"

"I don't know. All I know he went away after he and Husk had a disagreement."

"A disagreement?" Niffty nodded. Alastor and Husk…had a fight? Something about that didn't sound right. But, given Alastor's strange behavior, Husk was probably trying to talk to him. "I see. If you don't mind, can I come with you? We can take the limo."

"Oh, you don't have to do that!"

"It's fine. And besides, what business partner would I be if I don't check on him, right?" Charlie wondered as she took her jacket of nearby hook.

"…Yes."

"Vaggie, I'm going out with Niffty. Hold the fort while I'm gone!" Charlie called out.

"Be careful out there."

"Right. Let's go, Niffty."

"Okay!"

**††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††**

Niffty and Charlie arrive at Rosie's Emporium and they entered the store. "Rosie? Are you here?" Charlie asked. Not a minute later, the woman appears from a different room.

"Oh, what a surprise. I wasn't expecting to see you here. Are you perhaps looking for some new tapestry?" Rosie asked.

"Not today. We were kind of looking for Alastor. Is he here?"

"Alastor? Why would he be here?"

"I'll take that as a no." Charlie sighed. "From what I heard, he and Husk had a bit of a fight and Alastor left. So…yeah, we're looking for him."

"A fight, eh? And with Husk, no less. That is rare. Rare indeed." Rosie ruminated.

"…Really?"

"You wouldn't think so, no?" Rosie said. "While Husk would be disgruntled of Alastor's plots and schemes, very rarely had they ever clashed heads. What was it called again? Opposites attract?" Rosie takes a seat on a Victorian armchair. "For a fight to occur between the two, I would imagine it is again Alastor related."

"How is that any different?" Charlie asked.

"It's more about Alastor's lack of self-awareness involving his shortcomings. Alastor has a reputation to keep up and he doesn't want his weaknesses to be acknowledged, even by himself. That sort of thing can indeed ruffle up Husk's feathers."

"Husk cares, huh?"

"I wouldn't be saying that in front of him, but in a way." Rosie said. "We're sinners, but not everyone is heartless." Her tone was gentle and wise. "It is considered human nature to be sympathetic, but such a thing is severely scarce and discouraged in Hell. Each day being down here is an equivalent to a week of wartimes back on the living plane. It is a must that we…toughen up, if you will."

"…I see." Charlie said. "How often do they fight?"

"That I cannot answer." Rosie said. "Such thing usually happens behind closed doors."

"Hmmm…" Charlie hummed thoughtfully.

"Is that all you wished to hear?" Rosie asked politely.

"I guess so. Thanks for lending some of your time." Charlie turns to Niffty, who is dusting some of Rosie's antiques on the shelf. "Let's go, Niffty. Let's check the other places."

"If you don't mind the advice, I'd go check Alastor's tower if you haven't already." Rosie suggested.

"Thanks again, Rosie." Charlie thanked. "I hope you have a good day."

"Likewise, dear. And be sure to keep an eye on Niffty." Rosie said. "She tends to wonder off when she spots a particularly handsome man."

"That I am aware of."

**††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††**

"What's the matter with you?" Angel asked Husk.

"Why would somethin' be the matter with me?" Husk retorted with a grumble.

"Cause your being a more stick in the mud then usual." Angel answered. He smirks. "What happened? Did you and Al have a lover's quarrel?"

"That's none of your goddamn business." Husk grunted.

Surprisingly, Angel dropped his grin for a more conservative frown. "Does it have anything ta do with yesterday?"

"I don't fucking know and I don't fucking care."

"…You're drinkin' a lot more than usual too."

"Piss off."

"Fighting in the hotel is prohibited." Vaggie said.

"Pfft. Like everything else." Angel grumbled. "I just wanna know what's up with Al lately. He's been acting weird since the party."

"He got his ass handed to him by his own tricks." Vaggie said. "Serves the cabrón right."

"Come on. You ain't the least bit worried?"

There was a pause. Vaggie looks away. "…Of course not. He could go die in a pit for all I care."

"For somebody who hates Smiles' guts, you're kinda chill about letting Charlie go find 'im." Angel said.

"I would have gone with her, but Charlie wanted me to keep an eye on the hotel while she's gone." Vaggie said. "As much as I don't want to leave her to go look for Alastor, I can't leave the hotel unattended." She finally notices Angel snickering. "What's so funny?"

"…An eye." he giggled. It didn't take long for Vaggie to get the joke.

"Very funny." she said dryly.

Angel snickers again. "Well, it's more obvious that Husker here is worried for our strawberry pimp."

"Who says I'm fucking worried?!" Husk said defensively. "And don't call me that!"

Vaggie pinches the bridge of her nose. She then hears a knock from the hotel entrance. "Try to keep yourselves from killing each other while I work." After procuring a clipboard with applicant documents she goes to answer the door. As the down-to-earth one of Charlie and Vaggie's relationship, Vaggie opens the mosaic doors calmly with a tamed smile. "Welcome to the Happy Hote…" the moth demon drops the clipboard in shock.


	5. Unexpected Guest

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don’t own Hazbin Hotel. It belongs to Vivziepop.

Alastor laid across his couch, an arm over his eyes while the other is across his stomach as he slept, as he was since he returned to his tower after his confrontation with Husk. The lost hours of sleep have finally caught up to him, adding to the stress he's been experiencing, so he decided to nap. Thankfully, this sleep was dreamless, but… Alastor can still feel a sense of unease in the darkness. While more bearable than the marionette one, it was…unsettling. His hands would twitch a little, nothing much, but a reaction of sorts to an underlining issue.

A knock on his door wakes him up, though. Alastor remains motionless for a few seconds before getting up to answer. From the other side stood Charlie and Niffty. "Oh, quite a rare sight, I see!" he commented, keeping up his upbeat self. "Come in, come in! What do I owe the pleasure for this visit?"

"Well, I was informed by Niffty about a…disagreement between you and Husk." Charlie said. Alastor froze after he closed his door. He lets go of the doorknob and his hand clenched into a tight fist. Charlie could almost hear the static around Alastor.

"…Is that right?"

"I'm sorry, Mr. Alastor." Niffty apologized, over at his side. "I wanted to know where you went, and Ms. Charlie volunteered to help me." She and Charlie couldn't see Alastor's face, his hair obscuring any expression he may have. The princess was prepared to act should Alastor do anything.

Then, the Radio Demon whirls around, as cheery as he ever was. "It's quite all right, my dear. I appreciate the concern, of course."

"Really?" Niffty beamed.

"That is correct, darling." Alastor said. A grandfather clock chimes in, indicating the hour. "Oh, it would seem it is almost time to take part in luncheon."

"Oh, oh! May I prepare it?" Niffty asked.

"I don't see why not! I do believe that I have a full stock in the kitchen. Go to town!"

"Sir, yes sir!"

Charlie watched the little demon dashed away, leaving her with Alastor. "Would you like to stay for the meal, Charlie?" the stag asked, taking a seat back on his couch. All the while, ignoring the strange pain in his chest.

"Um, sure." Charlie said. She sits down next to Alastor. A long silence fell between the two. Charlie could see Alastor's hands clenched together, so tight that Charlie was worried that it might draw blood. "Um…Alastor, what's—"

"Don't."

"What?"

"I wish to not talk about it." Alastor said. "What transpire between Husker and I _will_ remain between us." He doesn't want to talk about it. If he did, the strange agony in his chest would flare again.

"Al…" Charlie muttered. Another moment of silence before she asked, "Why?"

"Hm? Why what?"

"Why do you not want to talk about it?" Alastor turns to look at Charlie. The princess wasn't sure what to make of his expression. He looked neutral, but his eyebrows are poised in a way that Charlie couldn't describe. Charlie moves to reach out to him but stopped, thankfully because Alastor tensed up. "I get that you don't want your reputation to be in jeopardy but believe me when I say that it's safe. I have no doubt that you're still the feared Radio Demon. The other demons will have to be pretty silly if they think they can _take_ you on."

"…I…believe that I am still injured."

Charlie looked over Alastor's person, finding any visible wound. She grew confused when she couldn't find one. "What makes you say that?"

Alastor lifts his hand to his chest. "There is a pain of unknown origin, right here. I don't know cause or reason."

"Maybe you should ask Dr. Alexir to check it. He's more of an expert about this sort of stuff."

Alastor chuckles. "And give him a reason to lecture me? Hah!"

"That's because he cares about you. We all do. Me, Husk, Niffty, Angel, Vaggie…" Alastor raises a brow. "Okay, maybe not so much with Vaggie, but most of us do."

Alastor chuckles again, though it is soft. "Ho…For you, my dear, perhaps I'll give it the old college try."

"Great to hear!" Charlie exclaimed. Her stomach growls and her rosy cheeks turned redder. She chuckled awkwardly. "How about after lunch?" Alastor laughs. A genuine, wholehearted, no condescending laugh. He even put his arm around her shoulders and it warmed Charlie's heart. It looks like Alastor is feeling better.

As for Alastor, he hadn't felt so serene for a long time. His chest doesn't feel so painful anymore.

**††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††**

"Are you gonna to go see Dr. Alexir?" Charlie asked as she, Alastor, and Niffty exited the limousine.

"I said I will give it a try and I will." Alastor answered. He holds the door for Charlie and Niffty. "I am a man of my word after all."

"Good."

"Excuse me." a patient spoke up.

"Yes? Is there something you need?" Charlie asked.

"Well…there was a bit of an accident upstairs with a vase."

"Were you running down the hall?" Charlie asked. The patient nodded his head guiltily. "It's okay. Just don't do it again. If you wanted to get somewhere fast, speed walking would be better."

"Do you want me to clean it up for you?"

"Oh, it's no trouble." Charlie said. "Right, Niffty?"

"Yep-yep-yep! I'll be right on it!" And with that, she's gone. Not long after, Angel Dust walked up to them. He seemed…off.

"Heeey. Char, Al, how's it hangin'? Nice weather today, huh? Clear skies, the pentacle moon is up high…"

Alastor eyes the strange spider. "Do I even want to know the reason for your odd behavior?"

"Odd behavior? What odd behavior? I'm perfectly normal." Angel insisted.

Both Alastor and Charlie exchanged glances before they laid their eyes on him suspiciously. "Angel, what did you do this time?" Charlie asked.

"Nothin'. I mean, yes! I mean…" Angel stammered.

"Why are you acting so strange?"

"Don't you mean stranger-than-usual?" Alastor quipped.

"Come on, Angel." Charlie prodded.

"It's nothin'. Really!" Angel claimed, trying to be jovial despite his nervous sweating. He tugs on his collar. "It doesn't have anything ta do with a new guest or something."

"A new guest?" Charlie asked, excitement bubbling up. Angel smacks his hands over his mouth.

"And a new source of entertainment!" Alastor declared.

"Who is it? What kind of person are they?" Charlie asked.

"Um…" Angel started but Charlie stops him.

"Wait, let me guess. Given how you've been acting, I'd say it's someone from the Porn Studio." Charlie guessed. "Am I right?"

"…Uhhh…"

"Why don't we find out ourselves, my dear?" Alastor asked an excited and bouncing Charlie. "Do you happen to know where our new guest is?"

"Uhhh…"

"Okay, she's in the parlor room." Vaggie said to Angel as she moved to his side, failing to notice Alastor and Charlie. "For now, let's think how—Charlie!"

"Our new patient is in the parlor room?" Charlie asked with a big smile. Angel and Vaggie's stammering fall on deaf ears as she turn to Alastor. "Let's go. We haven't given her a proper Happy Hotel greeting yet since we were absent during her arrival!"

"Lead the way, darling!" Alastor said as he follows Charlie.

After the two were gone, Vaggie grabs Angel by his bowtie. "What happened to keeping them occupied?" she seethed.

"Hey, in my defense, you shoved me out here the moment the limo drove up." Angel defended. "I wasn't exactly prepared."

**††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††**

Charlie bursts into the parlor room. "Hello and welcome to the Happy Hote—" she abrudtly stops her greeting. Her smile dipped down as her eyes widen.

"Is something wrong?" Alastor asked as he stood next to the demon princess. He follows her gaze and his ruby eyes landed on a familiar demon. He felt his heart stop.

Before them is Regina, aka the Countess.


	6. Why and For What Reason?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Hazbin Hotel. It belongs to Vivziepop.

"C…the Countess…" Charlie mustered. The former Overlord is still in her outfit from the party and she was reading a book when Charlie and Alastor entered the parlor. The Countess closes the tome and rises from her seat and starts to walk over to them. As she drew closer, Alastor felt his heart racing with each step. It wasn't long until it got to the point that a headache was starting to form and he could also feel his arms shaking. He wanted to leave. He didn't want to be in the same room as the Countess.

But he couldn't move.

Why can't he move? Why can't he leave? Why does he feel that he should stay put?

"Jó estét." the Countess greeted. "It has been a while."

Charlie, being a primarily defensive fighter, tries to hold herself back. "…Why are you here?"

"Isn't it obvious? I'm here for redemption." the Countess answered. She seems to have some degree of detachment, a contrast to her vibrant display of power back at Agatha's mansion. "And, please, call me Regina. That way of life is behind me now." Charlie and Alastor wasn't sure how to act, still in a moment of shock. Even the Countess – Regina – was starting to feel awkward with the tension. "…so, about the interview…"

"You…you're serious about this?" Charlie questioned. "After everything that has happened. After everything you've done?"

Regina sighs. "After I've regenerated, I did some thinking. I want to try this redemption thing and…" she glances at Alastor. "…I am also curious."

For the first time since Alastor came to the hotel, Charlie was hesitant on letting someone in the hotel. And another Overlord at that, albeit a former one. Not only that, she is a potential threat to the other patients in the hotel with her abilities.

"…I…"

"Give us a moment to think before we give you our answer." Alastor said, speaking for the first since seeing Regina again. He puts a hand on Charlie's shoulder, leading her out. She noticed it before Alastor had let go. His shaking hand.

"Charlie?" It took a moment for the princess to realize that she was lost in her thoughts before Vaggie brought her back to reality, her hands on her own.

"Vaggie…I'm sorry. I spaced out and I…Where's Alastor?"

"He went upstairs. What are we going to do?" Vaggie asked. Charlie didn't answer yet. She looks upwards before glancing back at the closed doors of the parlor. Vaggie then sighs. "I think I know the answer."

"Vaggie—"

"No. No, no, no. It's fine. It's like what you said before, when Alastor came to help. We can't push someone away who is willing to come here."

Is she? Charlie found herself thinking. The Countess proved herself to being quite an actress. Who's to say she's doing it again. It was clear that Alastor is still…cautious and who can blame him.

Charlie notices Vaggie hold her arm, where it was ripped off when the Countess went berserk. She takes her girlfriend by her shoulders. "Don't worry. If she does anything, I'll kick her out. Before that, I'll treat her like she's another patient. Go tell Niffty to spruce up room 308."

"What about Alastor? He seemed…out of it."

"After I speak with the Countess, I'll go talk to him."

"Sounds like you have a plan. Just be careful." Vaggie said, holding Charlie's cheek. "Please."

"I will." Charlie said with confidence before kissing Vaggie's 'x' on her face. She goes back into the parlor room, where the Countess had returned to her seat from before. Charlie clears her throat and the Countess noticed her presence and gets back on her feet. Usually, Charlie would be cheery about a new guest, practically bouncing on her feet, but this… Charlie had her arms crossed and she looked at the former Overlord with a pointed expression. "We'll have a room prepared for you."

"Charlie, I—" the Countess was halted with Charlie rose a hand for silence.

"You have a lot of work to do." Charlie told her, her tone hard and sharp. She hated talking like this, but this was a different issue. She can't trust the Countess right now.

"…Of course."

**††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††**

After making sure the Countess is situated, Charlie goes over to Alastor's room on the sixth floor. She knocks on his door.

"Al? It's me."

"…It is unlocked, my dear." Alastor sounded a little tired and it worried Charlie. She hadn't heard him sound like that since that night, right before he lost consciousness. Charlie carefully and quietly opens the door to see Alastor seating in his armchair, soft jazz playing on his radio next to him and a glass of scotch in his hand. She takes a seat on another armchair. Neither demons said anything yet as they sat, the only sound coming from the radio. The stag, who had been vibrant up until their encounter with the Countess downstairs, looked much more tense than before. His shoulders were stiff, his grip on his glass was dangerously tight, and his smile looked brittle.

"Um…I think you know what I was gonna ask you, but you've heard it enough for the day." Charlie said.

"Thank you…"

"…May I ask you something?"

"You are free to do so…"

"How come you didn't let me…kill the Countess, back at the party?" she asked.

Alastor took a moment to answer. "Well, it would obviously upset you and the hotel wouldn't be as fun anymore. That and I wanted to pay her back for what she did to me."

"Oh, right. I guess that make sense."

**††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††**

"Vaggie just texted me that dinner is ready." Charlie said.

"Then you must be off. Can't have her waiting, yes?"

"What about you?" Charlie asked.

"…I think I'll skip on dinner tonight." Alastor's response surprised Charlie. The Radio Demon is a proclaimed foodie. The fact that he isn't coming down for dinner is troubling.

"…I'm sorry."

Alastor rose a brow. "What for?"

"It's obvious that the Countess' presence is…concerning for you, after what happened at Agatha's mansion. You have every right to being suspicious. And me too. In spite of that, I'll give her the benefit of the doubt." A soft, albeit weary, chuckled resounded from Alastor.

"You're indeed a one of a kind."

Charlie smiled before she closed the door behind her, leaving Alastor alone in his room. A sense of overwhelming dread threatened to overshadow Alastor again as he listens to Charlie's fading footsteps. Where is this feeling coming from and why? For what purpose? Is it because of the Countess? It can't be. This has been happening before her arrival to the hotel. He sighs as he clutches the front of his shirt. "…What is happening to me?"

A vibrating sound caught his attention and he noticed some of his voodoo symbols floating around. Alastor glared at them as he willed them away. Why did they appear without his knowing? His heart then begins to beat rapidly and there is a tightness in his throat as he struggles to breathe. As he tries to regain control, thoughts begin to fill his head.

Is the Countess causing this? Was her attempt to get back at him for everything? Is all of this, her coming to the hotel for redemption, just another ploy? The last question gained a malicious laugh out of Alastor. If this is indeed the case, then it'll become another jab at Charlie's trusting nature. What thrill…

Why does it feel like Alastor should be by her side right now? Why does he feel should with the others right now?

Why does he feel he needs to make sure that the Countess won't do anything to them?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Has anyone heard of a song written by Silva Hound on Youtube called 'Addict'? If you hadn't, go listen! It's sung by Chi-Chi and Michael Kovach. Yes, THAT Michael Kovach.


	7. Ticking Bomb

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Hazbin Hotel. It belongs to Vivziepop.

"The ballroom…" Charlie bemoaned with her face planted on the table. "I just had to turn the ballroom into a dining hall."

"Hon, it's not like we were expecting the demon responsible for that night to be dining with everyone." Vaggie pointed out. She eyed the said demon, the Countess, seating at a table by herself, eating her dinner. Vaggie was torn away by the sound of Charlie's groan. "Charlie, get your face off the table." The princess responded by groaning again. Vaggie rolled her eye and shook her head. Her eye then trailed to an empty chair on Charlie's other side, across from Vaggie. It was Alastor's spot, mostly to get on Vaggie's nerves. But, not tonight. And, for the first time, it perturbed Vaggie. "So…he's not coming done for dinner? Alastor, I mean."

Charlie lifts her head. "He said he wasn't feeling up for it."

"What the fuck? Is he feeling okay?"

"I think he's just a little on edge with…you know who being here."

"Oh…Normally, I would be against catering to Alastor's every whim, but this is different. Very different for Alastor."

"Yeah…I'm really worried about him."

Vaggie smiled a little and places her hand over Charlie's. "I know you are. It's in your nature, somehow. I'm sure the shitlord would be back to harass us like he always does in no time."

Charlie smiled back, touched by the reassurance. "Yeah. I hope so. I actually miss it."

Vaggie chuckled. "…I can't believe I'm about to say this, but me too."

**††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††**

"Well…this is awkward." Angel commented, picking at his food.

"Tell me about it." Husk muttered. Neither spider nor cat demon have touched their meal. Since the start, they've tried not to make eye contact with the Countess.

"Why the fuck would she be here?" Angel questioned. "Especially after being at the bad end of both Charlie and Al?" Husk grunts in response. Angel looks over at the table Charlie and Vaggie sat, seeing no sign of Alastor. "And Al's still ghost."

"It's Charlie's choice at the end of the day." Husk said.

"I mean, come on. She coulda made one exception." Angel said. He leans closer to whisper, "The bitch freaks me out. I can feel my fur standing on edge just from knowin' the fact she's here. And don't deny it ain't happenin' to ya too."

"I ain't denying, unlike somebody else." Husk said, muttering the last part. "But Charlie isn't stupidly naïve…some of the time. I'm sure she knows this is nothing like the other guests here."

"Yeah." Angel said. He gives a discreet glance at the Countess. "She was an Overlord. An Overlord that Al kicked to the curb." He fidgeted. "…and the one who fucked Al over." Angel shuddered and rubs his arms as though he was cold. "Yeeeh… That felt weird to say."

"Hm." Husk hummed. He sees Charlie getting up from her table and watches as she walks over to another table where Alexir sat. He sighs.

"What?" Angel asked.

"…I don't know, just…" Husk shakes his head. "Nah. Forget it."

"Tch. Hey, don't leave me hangin'." Angel reproached.

Husk shoots a glare at him, but he complies. "…I'm just wondering when the shit starts hitting the fan."

**††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††**

"A pain in his chest?" Alexir inquired.

Charlie nods. "Alastor believes that he might be still injured from the fight."

"I have some doubts, Your Highness." Alexir said. "After discovering the heavenly silver, I did a thorough search for anything else harmful." At the sight of Charlie's worry, he added, "…However, if it would ease your concerns, I will go give him an examination later."

"Thank you, doctor."

"Where is he anyhow?" Alexir asked, looking for the deer demon. Seeing no sight of him, the doctor came to a common conclusion. "Let me guess, he is barricading himself once more." Alexir had no idea why he even bothers with Alastor. Times like this he wishes to return to Niflhel and be bothered by Magnum instead.

"He was going to go see you earlier, but…" Charlie chuckled sheepishly. "…we had an unexpected guest. After that, he went straight to his room."

"Could this guest be the culprit for causing Alastor's trauma?"

"…Yes."

"I see…hmmm…Then, I can't fault him for that."

"What do you mean?"

"In all honesty, I am not sure if a royal Hellborn such as yourself would fully understand." Charlie felt slightly hurt by the comment, but she could see the meaning behind it. Maybe.

"…Well, thanks for—"

"Good afternoon!" Alastor greeted, appearing between Charlie and Alexir, startling them.

"What are you doing here?" Charlie finds herself asking.

"Why, to get a bite to eat, of course." Alastor answered. He glances at Alexir's plate. "Is that the special for tonight?"

Alexir blinks. "…Yes?" He eyes Alastor.

"Splendid!"

"Al?" Charlie spoke up.

"Yes? What do you need, my dear?"

"I thought you said you were gonna skip dinner." Charlie perplexed. "Because of…you know who."

"Yes, I won't deny it." Alastor said. He then pulls Charlie and Alexir close to him. "But I figured that being in the same room won't do any harm, as long as everyone play by the rules, correct?" He keenly directs his eyes at the Countess, who returns the look back at him.

"Y-yeah?" Charlie said. Alexir continues to look at the stag skeptically.

Alastor lets them go. "Then everything is hunky-dory! Now, if you'd excuse me, I'll go procure me a plate. I'm starved!" The stag strode away, leaving behind two flummoxed demons. The other demons around them, who stopped eating to see what was going on, returned to their meal. To them, Alastor was being himself, a spectacle as well as a bane sometimes. But, to the ones much closer to Alastor, they can't help but feel unnerved by these mood swings.

Charlie, Vaggie, Husk, Angel, and Alexir watched the stag from their spots, trying to wrap their heads around this the whole thing.

"Whatever happened to his 'pain of unknown origin'?" Alexir asked.

"I don't know. I…don't know anymore." Charlie exasperated. "What is happening? What are we going to do?" She looks up to see the Countess looking at Alastor with pensive eyes. A thought occurred to Charlie.

Is…Is all of this the Countess' doing? Is she the cause of what's been happening to Alastor? If so, what should Charlie do? Kick her out? Have her stay and try to stop her?

"What should I do?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, my mother successfully riled me up about the whole coronavirus thing. I get she's worried about me, but damn!
> 
> I kinda hope the state that I live in sets up the quarantine soon. It would at least ease my worries a little. Obviously, it working wonders over in China. We Americans are gonna need it. We're kinda stupid.


	8. T-Minus

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Hazbin Hotel. It belongs to Vivziepop.

Alastor's sporadic behavior continued into the next few days. He's often glued to the side of either Charlie, Vaggie, Angel, Husk, and Niffty and occasionally Alexir when he's out of the infirmary. Hell, he's even visited the infirmary about twice a day, whether Alexir is with a patient or not. However, there were moments where Alastor would retreat to his room for an undisclosed reason. That reason being that of Alastor keeping the sense of panic at bay. These attacks grew worse at night, thus robbing him a couple of hours of sleep in tandem with the nightmares that follow when he does slumber, sometimes with the help of alcohol. Despite it all, Alastor keeps himself in a chipper mood. However, it was clear to the people close to him that something wasn't right. And seeing that this is the Radio Demon, it's unsettling and they have no idea how to approach Alastor about it.

And Charlie…she couldn't shake the feeling that the Countess may be manipulating Alastor in some way for him to act so strangely. Unfortunately, there are no evidence of that being the case. Is it possible that Alastor is just being…protective? Vaggie scoffed at the notion, saying it's more about him protecting what he deems is his rather than them personally. As for the Countess, for the passed few days, she's been very compliant with the hotel's activities and this should make Charlie happy. It _should_.

Cherri comes in the hotel and is greeted by Angel. "Hey, Sugar Tits!"

"Hey, Angie. How's it…" the bomb expert trailed off when she noticed the Countess walk by. "Isn't that…?"

"Eeyep." her best friend responded.

"What the fuck did I miss?"

"…It's a long story."

"You can tell me in your room. My feet are killing me."

Charlie walks up to the Countess with a clipboard in hand. She clears her throat. "Countess, I must say that you've done good around here. Keep it up and you'll get an award by the end of the week." She still smiled, but there was a sense of distance between the two. Normally, Charlie would be very active with the other patients, but with the Countess…

"What's going on with the Radio Demon?" the Countess asked.

Charlie froze for a second. "I don't know what you mean." She hated lying, but she doesn't want to put Alastor in any sort of risks. If he is trying to protect her and the others, then she'll do the same for him. She also needs to keep a close eye on the Countess to make sure she isn't biting anyone, something she told Razzle and Dazzle, so they'll also keep a watchful eye.

"Charlie?" she heard Vaggie call out from the kitchen. "Can you come here?"

"I'll be there in a minute!" Charlie said. She turns back to the Countess. "That will be all for the day. Please enjoy the rest of the afternoon. Remember the curfew and rules." Not waiting for the Countess to say anything, Charlie heads for the kitchen. She sees Vaggie at the counter with Niffty. "Did you find anything in the Countess' room?"

Niffty shook her head. "Not anything important. Just some paintings she did."

"She didn't bring anything with her." Vaggie said. "But we can't let our guard down."

"I feel bad about going through her things…And Alastor?" Charlie asked.

"I'm beginning to think he's running himself ragged." Vaggie said. "He's hiding it, but it's getting more obvious."

"Is he in his room right now?"

Niffty nodded her head. "Yep, last time I checked."

Charlie seats on a stool. "What are we gonna do? For all we know, the Countess _does_ want to be redeemed, but…"

Vaggie looks down. "…Trust is a difficult thing."

"What is it like up on Earth?" Charlie asked.

"Not much different." Vaggie said. "People lie, steal, kill, and take advantage of trust. The only difference between Earth and Hell is that there are law enforcers and a judicial system up there."

"How do you know when to trust someone?"

"You don't really know. You just…have to have faith."

**††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††**

"And that's about it." Angel finished telling his story to Cherri.

"Oof…That's rough. Even for the deer dude."

Angel seats up on his bed, holding Fat Nuggets close. "…Yeah…"

"You're actually worried?" Cherri asked.

"…I think I am…" Angel moves his knees up. "As much as I don't wanna admit it, I like this hotel. I get to kick back, relax, and not have Val breathin' down my neck. Course, that means I have ta follow the rules here, but I can sneak a few casual hanky-pankys." He and Cherri share a laugh. "What should I do?"

"Do what?"

"I don't know…help?"

"If you're worried about the vampire chick, a bullet between the eyes might do the trick."

"Against the rules, Sugar Tits."

"Ugh, then wait it out." Cherri said. "See what happens. If the Countess is still a bitch, then let Charlie or Alastor handle it."

"Yeah, you're probably right. By the way, for the love of fuck's sake, if you value anythin', don't say anythin' about this ta nobody."

"Angie, I saw the guy pass out." Cherri said. "Besides, I like hangin' out with ya."

Angel smiles. "…You're the best, Sugar Tits."

**††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††**

_He was wearing the outfit for Agatha's party, sans the jacket, hat, and mask. Even his monocle was missing. Alastor looks down at his arms. Large and dark blood stains ruined the pristine white sleeves, a gut feeling told him it was his own blood. A phantom ache throbbed in hands and arms. More red grabs his eye. Surround him was nothing but blackness with tints of red. It made him think he was in his shadows, but he knows he is not. In front of him were seven mounds on the ground, silhouetted by the dark area, but they seem to be covered in blood. Then, a wicked snicker echoed through the darkness._

_Further away, Alastor could see a pair of glowing red eyes a cheeky smile, like his own. Leaping out of the black is a smiling red deer that has sharp teeth, which is unusual for the animal, and small antlers. The deer hopped around the Overlord, chortling its demented giggle. It sounded playful, but Alastor knew it was anything but. The mammal stopped, its back facing Alastor. It then turns it head 180 degrees and snickered again, before making a full 360. The deer trots to a blood-covered heap on the ground and motions Alastor to come closer._

_Alastor complied. With each step, his heartbeat thumped faster and faster. The deer's grin grew wilder as it used its hoof to turn the heap over…_

A knock on the door wakes Alastor from his light slumber to the sound of soft jazz from his radio. He raises from laying across his bed, massaging the bridge of his nose. Perhaps, it was not a good idea do drink a half a bottle before his nap. There was another knock and Alastor gets up. It is probably Charlie, wondering what he's been doing all day. He takes his monocle and places it over his eye before heading to the door.

"Yes? Is there anything you need, my d—" His radio abruptly stops.

It wasn't Charlie, it was the Countess.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The lockdown is officially happening here in South Carolina, well on Monday. 30 days is going to be...not that different for me. I rarely get out of the house anyways lol.
> 
> Also, I made a separate DeviantART account solely for Hazbin Hotel related things: https://www.deviantart.com/hh-bluedynamite


	9. Boiling Point

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Hazbin Hotel. It belongs to Vivziepop.

"We meet again, Radio Demon." the Countess said.

Alastor stood stiff, like a deer in headlights. The only thing running seems to be his heart as it increasingly thumps against his chest. It sounded so loud to him that he swore the woman in front of him could hear it too. Alastor clenched his hand tightly. He could see his shadow gearing to attack, but he raises his hand to stop it. The shadow looked at him, almost contemplating before backing out. Alastor shifts his eyes to the Countess.

"What do you want?" he asked. There was no jovial cheer or joke in his tone.

"I wish to speak with you."

"…Is that so?" Alastor backs up to allow her in, plus keep his distance. "Come in, then. Do keep in mind that if you do anything that I don't like, I will kick you out with force." The former Overlord does so, her eyes scanning around the room as Alastor closes the door behind her.

"It…looks bigger on the inside." she observed.

"A creation of my own for my accommodations." Alastor said, as he sits down in his armchair and the Countess sit in the other. "What do you wish to speak about?"

"Is everything…okay?" the former Overlord asked. "You seem jittery as of late."

"…I am a clean bill of health. Is there anything else?"

"I…guess about the hotel." the Countess said. She fiddled with her fingers. "I remember when Charlie told about it back at the party—"

"Before you broke her little heart, yes." Alastor remarked casually. There was a slight twitch in the Countess' eye, interesting.

"…She was kind of right about how fun it is." she said. "Childish, true, but there was something enjoyable them. I especially liked the painting sessions."

"Good for you." Alastor said. It's getting harder to control the dangerously rapid beating in his chest. "Is…there is reason for this conversation?"

"Do you…do you think I can be redeemed?"

Alastor blinked at her curiously before releasing a cold chuckle. "…You are asking the wrong demon, my dear. If the Seventh Circle was anything like the Divine Comedy, then you and I would be drowning in blood by now."

The Countess breathed a chuckle. "Yes, you're right…In life, I've killed to retain my beauty and in death I was no different. I've spent so many years as a powerful Overlord and enjoy my tyrannical reign before you came along." Alastor clenches his fists again. "After that, for decades I have plotted my revenge and I never thought about anything else. I didn't even realize that, in those years, it had just been me. It was more evident when I was revived… You are lucky, Radio Demon." the Countess said. When Alastor didn't reply, she glances at him. "Radio Demon?" Soon, a dense static started to manifest in the room. "Radio Demon, what is going on? Radio Demon? Alastor!"

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"Well, this is rare." Husk commented, placing a drink in front of Alexir.

"Come now, I enjoy a drink every now and again." Alexir replied monotonously. "Though I do prefer to keep a steady hand while I'm on a job."

"Fucking pussy."

"Witty, very witty. Coming from you."

"Shut up." Husk runs his claws rhythmically on the bar. "…So…Were you able to talk with the shitlord?"

Alexir sighs. "What do you think? I've known him for some time, you'd think that I have a way of getting to him. Clearly, I don't—"

The two heard running upstairs coming down in a hurried pace. They didn't think much of it, believing it was some immature demons, until they saw it was the Countess looking frantic. Their confusion turns into shock when they noticed she is missing an arm.

"What in the Nine Circles…?" Alexir started but was cut off by the woman.

"Don't worry about me." the Countess said. Eyeing the few demons in the lobby, she urgently whispered, "Go to Alastor's room. _Now_."

Husk and Alexir exchanged glances before Alexir said, "All right, but go to the infirmary and let my assistant treat you." Husk rushes upstairs as the doctor goes to retrieve his bag.

The Countess clutches her stump of an arm as the doctor's assistant emerged from the infirmary and came towards her. "Come on. Let's get that mended."

"What's going on?" the Countess and Kujaku turn to Charlie. The princess sees the Countess' injury. It mirrored Vaggie's own several days prior. Deep down, it was cathartic, but something didn't seem right. Especially from the look on the Countess' face. "…What happened?"

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Husk makes it to the sixth floor, where the hall was distorted and voodoo symbols invaded the dense, staticky air. "…the fuck…" It was a little disorienting.

"No time to doddle, Husk." Alexir said as he passes the cat demon and into the warping hall. They turn the corner to see Cherri standing outside of Alastor's room.

"About fucking time!"

"What happened?"

"I have no fucking idea." Cherri said. "Angie and I were in the middle of watching one of his movies when that vampire chick came banging on the door, said it was urgent and to get over here. Deer boy is freaking out like nobody's business."

"Where is he?"

"In there." Cherri points at Alastor's opened door. "Angie's trying to calm him."

"Stand back." Alexir advised as he and Husk went.

"Don't have to tell me twice." The cat and antelope enter the room, saturated with reds and blacks as Alastor's powers go awry and they saw Angel kneeling next to the stag.

"You gotta chill, Al." the pornstar said to the Radio Demon. The stag was practically convulsing in Angel's hold, his hands in a vice-grip on Angel's arms and his smile warped, his antlers longer, and his eyes radio dials, darting around at every corner. Within all the static, it was clear that Alastor was hyperventilating. Angel keeps trying to snap him out of it. "She ain't here, Al. It's cool. You're cool."

"Angel." Alexir called out. "We'll take it from here."

"Took you guys long enough." Angel said. The Demon Doctor takes out a vial filled with a pink liquid from his bag.

"You might want to hold your breath." Alexir told Angel.

"Why?"

"Just do it." Alexir uncorks the vial and holds up to Alastor's nose. A just several seconds, Alastor's eyelids slide shut as he is induced into sleep with Angel preventing him from falling like a rag doll.

Angel sighs. "Glad that's over."

"What the fuck is that stuff?" Husk asked, pointing at the pink substance in the vial.

"A special concoction made by Magnum Opus." Alexir explained. "A whiff of it drops a demon in mere seconds. Very useful against difficult or hyperactive patients."

"Ooooh, really?" Niffty asked, jumping up and down and up and down. "Howdoesitwork? Howdoesitwork? Howdoesitwork?" Alexir hovers the vial near Niffty. "Howdoesiiii…" She giggles before she drops to the ground, fast asleep.

"Effective." Husk commented. He then finally took notice of a pair of spindly arms laying on the red carpeted floor. Husk knew who those arms belonged to. He looks over at the spider demon, now noticing he is missing his second appendage pair. "Angel, your arms…"

"I'll live."

"Go to the infirmary, Angel Dust." Alexir said, moving Alastor from Angel's arms and into his own. "I will be there shortly."

"Kay, Doc." Angel said. After taking a worried glance at Alastor, Angel raises to his feet, retrieved his arms and left. Husk watched him go, somewhat dumbfounded.

Alexir stands up, carrying the unconscious stag in his arms. "Husk, please assist me."

"R-right." Husk and Alexir rested Alastor in his bed as gently as they can as to not rouse him. The stag looked…vulnerable. His face is creased by a troubling expression and he wasn't even smiling. "This is un-fucking-real."

"Yes…Husk. Do not, under any circumstances, wake him up." Alexir ordered. "It does not matter if he is the middle of a nightmare. He needs rest and he's getting it whether he likes it or not."


	10. Fear

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Hazbin Hotel belongs to Vivziepop.
> 
> Happy April Fool's everyone! I wish I made an April Fool's fic for Hazbin Hotel, mostly of Angel and Alastor having fun.

The Countess winced a little from her replanted arm, putting her hand gently on the bandaged area.

"Owowowow!" Angel whined as Kujaku wrapped gauze around his arm.

"And there we go." Kujaku said. The peacock cuts the end of the gauze so he could secure it better, something he did to Angel's other arm. "So as long as you don't do anything too strenuous, your arms will heal nicely."

"…They feel numb. Is that normal?" Angel asked.

"It's probably the salve. It's supposed to accelerate the healing process." Kujaku explained.

A smirk formed on Angel. "Hmmm."

"Don't even think about it."

"Do you feel any better, Angel?" Charlie asked.

Angel shrugs. "Eh, no biggie. I'm used to the hands-on approach if ya get what I'm sayin'."

"Do you have to make sexual innuendos at every chance you get?" Vaggie asked.

"That's what makes me me." Angel bragged.

"Can anyone tell me what happened?" Kujaku asked.

Charlie narrowed her eyes before turning to the Countess. "I think I know what happened." With a dangerously stern glare, she moves closer to the other infirmary patient.

"Charlie…" Vaggie said worriedly. The princess stopped about a foot away from the Countess, who tried not to make eye contact. Charlie wasn't buying it.

"What did you do?" she questioned, her eyes changing.

Finally, the Countess looks at her. "…I—"

"Virtually nothing." Alexir answered as he entered the room.

"Huh? What do ya mean?" Angel asked as Alexir walked over to Charlie and the Countess.

"From the way I see it, the Countess has not charmed Alastor or anything else of the sort."

"How can you be sure?" Vaggie asked.

"I've been a denizen of Hell much longer than you children. Longer than even Alastor or Sir Pentious." Alexir said. "I have experienced the powers of many demons and Overlords, that includes the Countess. I have treated patients who were attacked by her during her reign and they were all the same. A mark, typically on the neck, is the catalyst of her hold."

"And you found none on Alastor?" Charlie asked.

"That is correct."

"Wait, hold on. You said 'virtually' nothin'." Angel pointed out. "What the fuck does that mean?"

"Ms…Regina. What were you doing when Alastor had his…episode?" Alexir asked her. His melancholy eyes held a bit of intimidation in them that told the Countess that it is best she speaks truthfully.

"…I was only talking to him." she answered.

"…That's it?" Cherri asked. "You _talked_?"

"That's right."

"So, what did you talk about?" Vaggie asked. She crosses her arms. "Like how you turned him into a doll?"

"N-No, nothing like that. I…" the Countess dared to look at Charlie in the eyes. They looked at her, full of suspicion. She sighs. "I was…asking how he was before I started talking about the hotel." Charlie's eyes soften a little.

"The hotel?" she questioned. The Countess nodded. Charlie wasn't sure what to think. The Countess does seem genuine. Even if she wasn't, why would she risk getting herself hurt and tell the others what happened for the wellbeing of Alastor? After all, she could've easily tried to have Alastor seriously hurt her and make it seem like she's the victim.

"If that's it, then why did he freak the fuck out?" Angel asked.

"The mere presence of Ms. Regina was enough to kickstart his panic attack." Alexir deduced.

"Panic attack?" Charlie questioned.

"It's an onset of intense fear or discomfort that triggers severe physical reactions when there is no real danger or apparent cause."

"Are you sayin' that Al has gone crazy?" Angel asked.

"Not crazy. Stressed." Alexir emphasized. "Our bodies may heal as much as it likes, but when it comes to the injuries of the mind, it's a different story."

"Sooo, brain damaged?"

Alexir's left eye twitched. "No. Not even close."

"What Dr. Alexir was trying to say was what Alastor experienced by the Countess was traumatizing enough to cause these attacks." Kujaku explained. "His mind is trying to cope with this new stress and anxiety. The Countess being here unintentionally made it worse."

With a snort, Angel starts to laugh. "Come on. You expect us to believe that shit?" He continues laugh, but it slowly starts to die out when Alexir stared at him with a stern look.

Alexir closes his eyes. "A common emotion that every living creature will experience is fear. How to handle such fears varies, but more often than not, we all underestimate its strength and crippling grasp. We all have a fear. Loneliness," Charlie and Vaggie looked at each other. ", abuse and abandonment," A dark, painful memory surfaced in Angel's mind and he clasps his arms subconsciously. ", and loss and loss of control. No matter how much you want to forget, it will never go away." Everyone in the infirmary could hear the grandfather clock chime. "Visiting hours are over. After I check your wounds, Angel and Ms. Regina, you may take your leave."

As they walked out, Cherri noticed a haunted look on Angel's face. "Angie?"

"…I'm tired. Let's get some sleep. We can finish the movie in the mornin'."

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Charlie decided to walk with the Countess to her room on the third floor. She didn't know why, but she felt like she needed to. So…

"Cou…Regina, I'm sorry for how I treated you when you arrived—"

"Don't be. You have every right to be cautious." the Countess, Regina, said. "It was just a stupid idea on my part for deciding to come here even though not a lot time had passed since…well…I'm the one who should be apologizing. Especially to you."

"Regina…"

"I may be beyond redemption. I may never be able to ascend to Heaven. But, if there ever is a day when I will be gone, I would like to at least leave behind something good. For you…and maybe for the Radi…for Alastor too."

A gentle hand is placed on her shoulder. Regina looks up to see a face on Charlie that she hadn't seen since her betrayal. A look of kindness, a look better suited for Charlie. "I'm sure you will."

A cynical part of Regina didn't believe it, but she smiles. "Thank you, Charlie."

"You're welcome, Reggie."

Down the hall, Vaggie leaned on the wall with crossed arms and a smirk. She can't help but love the princess of Hell.

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A single eye flutters opened as Niffty wakes up from her potion-induced slumber. She rubs away the sleep in her eye as she sits up on the short couch she was laying on. She then stretches her arms out as she yawns.

"That was a good nap." She then looks around the room and remembers where she is. "Oh my gosh. I'm in Mr. Alastor's room! How unladylike!"

"Shhh." Niffty sees Husk seating in a chair next to their employer's bed. That's when she remembered. After neatly folding the throw blanket she was using, she scurries over to the other side of the bed, gently dragging a chair closer before seating down in it. Alastor is laying on his back, his coat, vest, and tie were removed so he could rest more comfortable, even though his face said otherwise. He isn't smiling.

"…How long will he be sleeping?" Niffty whispered.

"Dunno. The doc said not to wake him." Husk said.

"…This is worse than that one time with..." Niffty muttered.

"At least he ain't covered in bandages…Go to your room. It's gettin' late." Husk told her.

"What about you?"

"I'll be out when I finish this." he said, taking a swig of alcohol. From the way the liquor slushed in the bottle, it wasn't half empty yet.

"…Okay." Niffty slides out of her chair. "Good night."

Husk grunts reply and Niffty leaves the room, leaving him alone with the sleeping stag.

"Why didya have to drag me into your messes?" Husk asked, before taking a large gulp of liquor. As he did, he didn't notice Alastor's fingers curling before relaxing again.


	11. The Final Straw

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Hazbin Hotel. It belongs to Vivziepop.

_This is where the last dream had left off. Alastor is standing over the deranged deer and bloody heap. The deer grinned and tilted its head, as if welcoming Alastor back. Just like before, the deer goes to move the heap over so Alastor could see what, or who, it is._

_His eyes grew wide._

Husk wakes up with a snort and drops his now empty bottle. "Wasn't me…Huh?" He looks out at window. "Morning already?" He looks over at the still sleeping stag, who is now laying on his side, his back facing Husk. The cat demon rises from his seat, stretching his back. The vintage chair may look nice, but it was uncomfortable after a long seat and not the perfect place to sleep on. "Time to clock out." Taking the bottle with him, he moves to leave.

That is until he heard something, his right ear swivel towards Alastor. It was faint, but Husk could hear white noise coming from the Overlord. The sound was in tandem with the stag's breathing which seemed to waver.

It sounded familiar.

After some debate, Husk turns around and quietly moves over to Alastor's side. He leans over to get a better look at the stag's face. Still no smile – still unnerving – and his brows twitched frequently. Husk could almost see his eyes moving behind the dark red lids. Whatever Alastor may be dreaming, it wasn't pleasant. Then again, most dreams in Hell are unpleasant…well, it depends who you ask. Remembering what Alexir said about not waking him, Husk moves back.

He sighs. "Why do I fucking care?" He goes to leave. As he did, Alastor's breath starts to quicken.

_Alastor's red eyes grew wide with shock at what he is seeing. The bloody heap in front of him was the_ _ Charlie _ _. Her vacant eyes stare at Alastor, almost pleading. He froze from where he stood, unable to comprehend what was he is seeing. After what felt like several minutes, he was finally able to move his legs to move closer to her. He then fell to his knees, uncaring of the blood pooled around the princess. There was a big gaping hole in her abdominal area. With a shaky hand, Alastor caress his fingers on Charlie's cold cheek. What happened? Who did this to her? Who would dare harm Charlie?_

" _ **You don't know?**_ _" the voice rasped. It was close and right in front of Alastor. He looks up, now face to face with the red deer. "_ _ **She's dead because of**_ _ **you**_ _ **.**_ _"_

"… _Me?" Alastor musters up a chuckle. "Why would she'd be dead because of me?"_

_The deerling snickers. "_ _**You really don't remember? You don't remember how you toyed with her as she begged for mercy?** _ _"_

" _Stop…"_

" _ **Or how you took great glee in ripping out her entrails?**_ _"_

_Alastor dug his fingers into his palms, drawing blood. "Stop it…"_

_The grin on the deerling grew. "_ _**Or better yet, how she screamed and screamed again, but her words only fell on deaf ears as you continued to tear her apart?!** _ _"_

" _That's enough!" Alastor demanded, slicing through the deerling with his fingers. The deerling dissolves into the black, but his sneering grin was still there. He stands back up, trying to push the horrid image of Charlie out of his mind. "How would you know? If I had indeed done it, I would think that I am the first to know!"_

"… _ **Heh-heh-heh-hah-hah-hah…Is that so**_ _?" the voice is now behind him. Alastor turns to see the deerling, but the creature was covered by the blackness, but it's neon red eyes, almost hypnotic, is clearly visible. Surrounding it are more bloody heaps. Alastor's pained chest turned cold from dread. "_ _ **Then, what about**_ _ **this**_ _ **?**_ _" The heaps revealed to be the bloodied corpses of Husk, Angel, Vaggie, Niffty, and even Alexir and Rosie. The sight of them made his stomach tun and the pain grow stronger._

" _No…no…I couldn't have…Not without me knowing, at least. But, even so…I—" A sharp, short static, akin to a gasp, escapes him with his heel hit Charlie's corpse. He is again greeted by her frozen face of terror. The pain grew and his breath quickened. "…The Countess…this must be the Countess' doing…" Another chortled._

" _ **You think so, aye? Sorry, but that's not it either.**_ _" The mangled form of the Countess appeared, shattering whatever explanations Alastor had left. "_ _ **Must you continue to deny?**_ _" the deer snickered. "_ _ **This isn't like you and I should know. Afterall…**_ _" the deer started to twist and form before it turned into something almost exact to Alastor's likeness, except it looked more feral. "_ _ **I'M YOU!**_ _"_

Husk flinches when Alastor released a screeching static. "Shit! What the fuck?!" The stag tossed and turned wildly, and his red satin sheets coiled around his body like a snake. His eyes were open, but they were only red static. He's not awake, trapped in his nightmare. A part of Husk wanted to wake him up, but he is then reminded again of Alexir's order. As Husk contemplate, he felt the static making his fur raise on ends. With a growl, Husk goes to take Alastor by the shoulders. "Wake the fuck up, Al!"

What happened next was a blur.

Husk fell back, his right arm and wing sliced off and are now laying limp, next to him. "Goddamn! God-fucking-damnit! Son of a shit bitch!" he cursed, grasp his right side. He breathes in, hissing a little. "That was fucking smart…"

"Husker…?" The voice lacked the radio filter Alastor had as he spoke, and it was alarming. Husk somehow had the courage to look at the stag. And he regretted it. Ruby eyes were trained on him, which wouldn't have to be so mildly unnerving if it wasn't for the lack of Alastor's iconic smile. "…I…"

"…Look. It ain't that bad…" Husk started, but he wasn't sure why he chose those words. "All I need is a band aid and I'll be—"

He is gone when Alastor snaps his fingers.

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Alexir sighs. "This is the fifth time you've gotten yourself stuck this week." His current patient, a canine demon, has his head stuck in between the steel bars from the gates outside. The canine looked down with a whine, ashamed. Alexir sighs again. "Please learn this in the future. Kujaku, go get the bone saw from the utility closet and—" Husk suddenly appeared on the next bed, his dismembered body parts landing nearby.

"FUCK!"

The Demon Doctor blinked. "…Never a dull day in this place…"

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Ten feet ran as fast as possible to the infirmary. "Husk, are you okay?" Charlie asked the moment she entered.

"What the fuck do you think?" Husk asked rhetorically. His bandaged arm is on a sling and his wing is neatly wrapped in gauze.

"What happened?" Charlie asked.

Husk is suddenly hesitant. "Uhhh…"

"What happened was Husk didn't heed my words and woke up Alastor." Alexir informed them, shooting a glare at Husk. The cat demon grumbled.

"Alastor did this?" Vaggie asked.

"It wasn't on purpose." Husk said. "He wasn't…all there."

"Where is he now?" Charlie asked.

"In his room…maybe."

After that, Charlie, Vaggie, Regina, Angel, and Cherri head over to room 613. To their surprise, the hall was normal, despite knowing Alastor may be in deep distress. Charlie opens the door and what welcomed her was a surprise. Instead of the 20s/30s styled room, it was a bayou.

"Oh, yeah. Al's still in there." Angel said. The four girls give him a pointed look. "What?"

"I'll go in." Charlie declared. "You guys stay here."

"I wish that could say that I am sorry." Regina said. "But that won't ever be enough."

"Regina…"

"We can't ignore the fact that I caused all this." Regina said. "The only person who can talk to Alastor right now is you."

"…Okay." Charlie said. She carefully makes her way into the swamp. "Wish me luck."

"Be careful, Charlie." Vaggie said.

She then heard a snicker from Angel. "What?"

"You know, since you and Regina became girl buddies, you know what that make the two of ya?"

Vaggie sighs. "No, what?"

"Vagina." Angel and Cherri laugh at the joke. Vaggie and Regina wasn't amused.

"Very funny." Vaggie said dryly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally have the last chapter finished!! I need something lighthearted to make lol
> 
> Any suggestions?


	12. A Silent Act of Kindness

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Hazbin Hotel. It belongs to Vivziepop.

If it wasn't for her grabbing a nearby vine, Charlie would have fallen into a quagmire. She had heard of the danger of swamps and bayous from word of mouth, some books, and the internet, but she'd never thought she'll have to traverse through one in order to reach a friend. It made Charlie wonder how Alastor was able to navigate in this kind of environment. Maybe she'll ask when all of this is over.

Leaping over a log covered in moss, Charlie spots something red deeper in. Is that…? She picked up the pace, the red figure became a little clearer. It is!

"Alastor!" Charlie shouted. She starts to run while at the same time be mindful of the terrain. As she came closer, she could see that the Radio Demon is seating on a stump with his back facing her. "Alastor!" She saw his ear twitch. "Alastor, there you—"

Alastor casts a haunting glare. A glare that bared no smile.

The sight of it made Charlie lose her footing and she stumbles on the ground. Sputtering out some grass that went in her mouth, Charlie looks up to see that Alastor had turned away from her. The princess gets up to her feet. "…Alastor?" she reaches out to him.

"Why are you here?" Alastor asked. His voice was hollow, and it lacked the radio filter. "You shouldn't be here."

"Yeah, well…um…your door wasn't locked." Charlie said sheepishly.

"…Oh."

Oh? That's it? Just 'Oh'?

"Alastor, is there anything I can do for you?"

"…Leave."

"…What?"

"Please leave, Charlie. I'm not sure if I am at full control of myself at the moment."

"What do you mean?"

"Just leave, Charlie. Please. If you wish to preserve yourself, get out." Alastor looks down at his hands. "I know this isn't the first time that I had harmed Husk and Angel. If it was any other time, I wouldn't have cared. But this…to have so little control…" He curled his fingers.

Charlie only stood there. She's never heard Alastor so…broken. And it was more perturbing than any snide remarks, patronizing comments, or overall statements the stag would say. And it…broke her heart.

To Alastor's surprise, Charlie hugs him. He tensed up and his eyes grew large in shock.

"…I can't. In moments like this, the worse thing for you is to be alone. We don't have to talk. We don't have to look at each other. Just know that you don't have to be alone."

Alastor turned his head slightly, peering down at the blond head. He then moved his gaze to her arms currently around him. They were firm, yet gentle and warm, not unlike how his mother soothed him when he was a child. He remembered, as child, he tended to keep to himself about his problems, yet his mother always seems to know and would do everything in her power to cheer him up. Some of the time, she'll do just this: embrace him without saying a word. And just like back then, Alastor could feel himself relaxing. Not entirely, as he still feels slightly on edge, but considerably.

They stay like that, on that lone stump in the middle of the bayou for nearly 10 minutes. As the time marched on, Charlie noticed how the swamp land started to shift and change back to Alastor's room, the stump she and the stag were seating on morphed into the latter's bed. Charlie pulls back when Alastor moved to get up. He turns around and, thankfully, he was smiling. It wasn't his usual manic grin, but it was better than frowning. Alastor offers Charlie his hand. She goes to take it, but paused and starts to study it, making sure it wasn't glowing green. Alastor noticed this and started to laugh. Seeing this, Charlie joins and takes the hand, getting off the bed.

They walk out of the room where Vaggie and Angel were waiting. "Ah! Angel, my effeminate fellow, how are you fairing?" Alastor asked, seemingly back to his vibrant self, though still subdue.

"Um…Good I guess."

"Please, accept my humble apology for the unintentional bodily harm for the second time."

"Second time? Oooh, that. Eh, no biggie. I'm kind of a masochist. If you like, you can rip me a new one on purpose later." Angel suggested seductively.

"If you continue to be within five feet of my space, I'll consider it." Alastor warned.

Vaggie and Charlie smiled at each other, grateful to see that Alastor is on his way to going back to his normal self. Charlie took notice of Regina's absence, but wasn't at all surprised. Regina had probably felt that her presence would only deter Alastor.

How many the steps may be, Alastor is on the road to recovery, in both body _and_ mind.

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The next day, Charlie receives unfortunate news.

"You're leaving?" she asked Regina as they walked out the hotel. The former Overlord nodded her head.

"It's for the best. I wanted to come here as soon as I was resurrected, but I never thought that my being here would have quite a shock to Alastor." Regina said. "It's funny. If this had happened months ago, I'd probably had relished it."

"That shows that you have changed since then." Charlie said. She noticed that Regina isn't carrying anything. "Don't you want to take your things? Your paintings?" Regina shook her head.

"You can keep them. I was going to give them to you anyways." Regina said. She looks up at the sky. "I wonder what would have happened if Alastor had killed me with an angelic weapon all those years ago." she muttered. "I wonder if he'd be spared if I was just erased."

"What?"

"It's nothing. Well…I'll be going then." Regina said, a little sad. She holds out a hand to Charlie, expecting a goodbye handshake. Instead, she gets a hug from the princess. She was surprised, but it didn't take long for her to hug her back.

"You will always be welcomed here, Reggie." Charlie said.

"…Thank you."

They eventually pull apart. They look at each other, silently saying their goodbyes, before Regina turns to leave. Charlie eventually goes back into the building. Unknown to her, Fat Nuggets had been outside, and he decided to follow Regina.

Charlie goes to room 308. Inside were all of Regina's paintings. There seemed to be at least 10 canvas', including one on an easel near the window. The princess goes through the paintings, seeing which one she would like to hang up. She comes across one painting that piqued her interest. It depicted a serene scene, set in a forest with five animals basking in the sunlight and enjoying each other's company – a dog, a cat, a fox, a rabbit, and a squirrel. She also took notice of how the animals looked before it occurred to her that these animals are representing her, Husk, Angel, Vaggie, and Niffty respectively. The sight warmed her heart.

Then, she noticed something red deeper in the woods. After a closer look, she noticed it was a red deer, a stag to be more accurate, watching the little creatures. Is that supposed to be Alastor? To Charlie, it didn't seem menacing.

She turns to the canvas on the easel. She then gets to walk over and see what it is. It was a painting of a red stag standing on a cliff. He looked strong and confident.

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Later that evening…

Vaggie stormed towards Angel's room and bangs on the door viciously. "Angel! Get out here right now! I know you stole one of my spears, tu puta araña!"

"Hey, what's with the fuckin' screamin'?" Angel questioned, appearing from the stairs. Vaggie sees him and charges at him.

"Where's my spear, asshole?!" Vaggie shouted.

"How the fuck should I know? And who cares about a stupid spear?" Angel questioned. "I'm lookin' for Fat Nuggets. I haven't seen him anywhere."

"Maybe he's in the kitchen."

"I already checked, he ain't there." Angel said, obviously worried. Vaggie sighs.

"Fine. I'll help you find him. After that, you'll help me find my missing spear."

"Don't you have like a bunch of those?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The scene with Alastor and Charlie at the beginning is inspired by the Steven Universe episode ‘Rose’s Scabbard’.


	13. Secrecy Paved In Blood

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: I feel need to say that this chapter is gonna contain some heavy topics, mostly about suicide.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Hazbin Hotel. It belongs to Vivziepop.

"Good afternoon, gentlemen!" Alastor welcomed towards Husk and Alexir at the front desk.

"Good afternoon." Alexir said. "Good to see that you're in your usual chipper mood."

"Ha-ha-ha! Yes, I haven't felt so vibrant in a long time!" Alastor noticed some demons in the lobby looking for something, checking things like plants and furniture. "What is going on here?"

"Angel's pet pig is missing." Husk answered. "Charlie's done made it into a game that the person who finds it gets a prize. You don't suppose that you may be the cause of the disappearance?"

Alastor gasps dramatically. "Oh, Husker, you wound me! Why I did nothing of the sort! Now, if you'd excuse me, I'm stepping out."

"For what?" Alexir asked.

"I've been cooped up in here far too long for my liking. What I need is some fresh air." Alastor said.

"All right, then. Remember to practice abdominal breathing for when you feel a panic." The doctor sounded so much like a concerned parent in his monotonous tones that Alastor almost wanted to laugh. So, he did.

"I will!" he laughed. "To~odles!"

Once Alastor was out of earshot, Husk and Alexir continue to talk. "He's looking better already." Husk observed.

"Indeed. He's putting an honest effort into coping, which I believe helped in his recovery."

"So, what techniques did you have him do to deal with it, other than that breathing thing?"

"Really simple stuff. In fact, him playing some of his jazz music helped quite considerably. He definitely appears to be going back to his usual self." Alexir said. "On that note, I see that the two of you are in great spirits, given what had transpired."

"Eh. He apologized." Husk shrugged. "Not like he did it on purpose. So…Was he still jittery around the vampire chick?"

"For a time. However, yesterday during dinner, the two were able to be in the same area, albeit tables apart."

"How long do you think it will take for the bastard to fully recover?"

Alexir rested his elbows on the countertop and intertwined his fingers. "…It is hard to say. He _could_ make a full recovery, but psychological trauma digs deep. Deeper than any scar. He may never fully recover from this experience." The doctor took notice of a rare look of concern on Husk's face. "Do not be so concerned, Husk. With Ms. Regina no longer here, his attacks would occur less frequently."

Husk clicks his tongue. "Who says I'm worried?" He swore he saw the corner of Alexir's lip lifted slightly, the faintest of smirks.

He responded with giving the doctor the middle finger.

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Alastor steps out of the hotel and takes a deep breath. "Ah…the smell of blood and carnage. Oh, how I missed it." There was then a little grunting noise. Running towards him is, lo and behold, Fat Nuggets. The piglet oinked and grunted at him, almost like how a dog or cat would try to get someone's attention. Alastor's brow rose. Typically, the little swine would run in the opposite direction at the sight of him.

With a shrug, he leans down. "And what has gotten you hot and bothered like your owner?" Fat Nuggets ran around in a circle and urged the stag to follow him. Again, Alastor shrugs and follows the pig, really having nothing else to do. The little swine leads the man to an alley, oinking at him to hurry up. Alastor walked in his own pace, reaching the animal. He glances down in the alleyway and sees ravenous demons eating some poor unfortunate soul. Such a sight isn't new to Alastor, he's seen it many times before. But, for some reason, Fat Nuggets seems very upset for the demon chow. The pig gave Alastor puppy dog eyes. He his rolled his eyes and, with a snap of his fingers, scared the demons away when they saw him, leaving behind the mangled corpse. Fat Nuggets scurried over, whining pitifully. Alastor walks closer and his heart dropped. He recognizes who the demon is.

It was Regina. She was nearly unrecognizable, but her dress was intact enough for Alastor to know who it is. What in the Nine Circles happened to her? It was a legitimate question. The demoness was able to sustain herself for decades since her fall, so she shouldn't be able to go down this easily. Doesn't matter though. She'll resurrect in a little bit, even after being nearly eaten. It was then Alastor noticed something impaled into her. Upon further examination, it was a spear. A _holy_ spear. Not only that, Regina's hands were on said spear.

She killed herself. She used a holy weapon to kill herself. She isn't coming back.

A new feeling struck Alastor. It wasn't panicky feeling, granted his heart was racing the moment he saw Regina, but it quieted down when he saw the state she was in. What is it, then? Is it…pity? Sympathy? He wasn't sure where this feeling is coming from. Maybe it's from seeing her half-eaten form giving him a bit hellish nostalgia, reinvigorating why he hates dogs. Why would she do this though? Is it…is it to free Alastor of her unintended psychological hold on him?

Shaking such a ludicrous thought from his mind, he pulls the spear out of Regina's body. Suddenly, he is reminded of the fate of Agatha. Heh. Talk about poetic. He summons his flames to burn the spear away before picking up Fat Nuggets, who is clearly mourning Regina in a sense. Alastor turns his back at the remains of Regina.

"Suicide is such a shameful tactic," he found himself saying. Even Fat Nuggets looked up at him curiously. "You only have one chance and yet you waste it on personal quandaries…They shouldn't deserve the beauty of life if they're just going to carelessly toss it away." After some debate, he snaps his fingers again to set Regina aflame so the rest of her wouldn't be ravaged any further. This isn't out of respect, but to have those other demons starve…or so he told himself.

He knows one thing for sure. Charlie would be devastated.

"Let's keep this between us." Alastor said to Fat Nuggets. "Shall we?" The pig responded with an oink and the wag of his tail.

Alastor already has so many secrets, why not one more under his sleeve?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phew. I have never gone into dept with heavy topics like this. Stuff like this are a bit of hit or miss for some people, like how PTSD is shown in some media. No matter your beliefs, suicide should never be an option. It is a permanent solution to a temporary problem.
> 
> But, with that out of the way, onto some Hazbin Hotel-related things! Apparently, when a demon is killed by a holy weapon, their soul becomes one with Hell, giving it energy. Remember all those eyes we see in the pilot?...Yeah. I do wonder though if it's like the Soul Society in Bleach, when a soul dies (whether it be a Shinigami or a regular Plus), it becomes one with the Soul Society before it returns to the rebirthing cycle…I think…I swear I heard that from somewhere…
> 
> Whelp, that's it on the Alastor Angst!...For now, anyway. Maybe I should do a more lighthearted series. lol
> 
> Remember, I'm still taking requests. Just, don't expect a lot of romance stuff.


End file.
